Title: A Vexing Situation
Date: 6/26/16
Place: BLCC
Text: Luke 15
CT: We are to rejoice when others meet Christ and are blessed.
[Screen 1]
FAS: It's easy to see why people like the sea gull. I've sat overlooking a craggy
harbor and watched one. He exults in freedom. He thrusts his wings backward with
powerful strokes, climbing higher and higher until he's above all the other gulls,
then coasts downward in majestic loops and circles. He constantly performs, as if he
knows a movie camera is trained on him, recording.
In a flock, though, the sea gull is a different bird. His majesty and dignity melt into
a sordid slough of infighting and cruelty. Watch that same gull as he dive bombs into
a group of gulls, provoking a flurry of scattered feathers and angry squawks to steal
a tiny morsel of meat. The concepts of sharing and manners do not exist among
gulls. They are so fiercely competitive and jealous that if you tie a red ribbon around
the leg of one gull, making him stand out, you sentence him to execution. The others
in the flock will furiously attack him with claws and beaks, hammering through
feathers and flesh to draw blood. They'll continue until he lies flattened in a bloody
heap.1
LS: Are we sometimes like these birds? Do we get our feathers ruffled when others
seem to be getting more than they deserve?
[Screen 2]
I. I love the story of the prodigal son. I guess because I am one. It is a timeless story
that teaches us so many different lessons. Last week we concentrated on the lost son
who was received back home by his unheard of father.
Jesus was speaking to two very different groups we discovered. [Screen 3]
Luke 15.1-2, Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear
Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes
sinners and eats with them.
Last week the sinners, the “worst of the worst”, probably liked the part about the
son being forgiven and taken in, but the Pharisees and teachers of the law probably
felt a bit different about the outcome of the story.
This week we are going to look at what Jesus was aiming at the Pharisees and
teachers of the law, (The self-proclaimed “best of the best”). And if we pay attention
and are honest with ourselves we will hear him speaking to us. [Screen 4]
I have titled this sermon, A Vexing Situation”. To be vexed means to be annoyed
or irritated. The story we are about to hear probably vexed some of the listeners
that day and may vex listeners even today.
Jesus uses this story to reveal truth and grace to the worst of the worst and the socalled best of the best.
Phillip Yancey, as quoted in The Strong Willed Child by James Dobson (Tyndale
House, 1995); submitted by Greg Asimakoupoulos, Naperville, Illinois
1
Let’s listen in as Jesus begins teaching to those gathered to listen. He begins with a
couple of short parables:
Luke 15.4-7, 4.[Screen 5]“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of
them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety- nine in the open country and go after the lost
sheep until he finds it? 5 [Screen 6] And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his
shoulders 6 [Screen 7] and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors
together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. ’ 7 [Screen 8] I tell
you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who
repents than over ninety- nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
All those listening would agree. Yes they would rejoice when they found the lost
sheep. It was kind of blowing their mind that they could agree on something. But
Jesus didn’t stop there. He told another story.
Luke 15.8-10, 8 [Screen 9] “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one.
Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9
[Screen 10] And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and
says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin. ’ 10 [Screen 11] In the same way, I
tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who
repents.”
Every one listening would agree. The husbands were probably shaking their head
yes knowing the wife would ransack the house searching for her lost valuable.
When we lose something precious to us it gets our undivided attention as we
search frantically for it. Right. Your billfold, your phone, your kid.
In the same way God is seeking us. He rejoices more over the sinner who repents
than over the ones who did not need to repent and are with Him.
[Screen 12]
Jesus says all this to prepare his listeners and us today for the next part of his
teaching.
Jesus next tells the story of the prodigal son we dug into last week. The son took
his inheritance and ran to live wildly. To do what he wanted when he wanted with
whom he wanted only to end up working in a pigpen. Yet the father took him back
into his arms, pig slop and all, when he returned and… was rejoicing. [Screen 13]
Verse 24. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.
’ So they began to celebrate.
That was a great story last week. The wonderful story of the grace given to the
prodigal son through the unheard of father he had.
But, didn’t Jesus mention two sons at the beginning of the story? Yep I believe he
did. What about the other son?
He had stayed. He had been faithful. He had served his father well. He probably saw
all this commotion going on down at the house. He started to wonder what was
going on. He saw some servants heading for the pen the fattened calf was in. What
was with that? I surely thought dad was saving that for celebrating something with
me? We read Jesus’ words in Luke 15.25-27. [Screen 14] “Meanwhile, the older son
was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. [Screen
15] So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. [Screen 16]
‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.”
Whoa. What are you talking about? That deadbeat brother of mine has a lot of gall
coming around here after all he has done to my dad. This older brother was really
vexed. He was angry. He couldn’t believe the father was throwing a party to
welcome this lazy bum of a brother home.
I can imagine some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law are thinking, “Finally
someone gets it!”
But Jesus continues with the story. Luke 15.28-30
[screen 17] “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father
went out and pleaded with him. [Screen 18] But he answered his father, ‘Look! All
these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you
never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. [Screen 19]
But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes
comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him.”
Whew. Ever met an angry Christian. Did you ever meet an angry preacher? Did you
leave out of the church because it seemed they believed in hell but because they had
some people they wanted to send there. Did you just want to shout out to them that
Jesus loves us?
But here in our story, there is one son who believes he isn’t good enough to attend
the celebration party and another son who agrees with him. The older son is not
going to attend because the younger son is there.
Jesus’ audience is confused. They still don’t get how God views sinners. Do we?
They still don’t get how Jesus is both grace and truth.
Do you know why you may be an angry Christian? You may not want to hear this?
But you may be an angry Christian because you think you deserve something from
God that somebody else might get that you believe they don’t really deserve it.
You’ve done all God said to do, you have tithed and done so many things for God.
You have served faithfully. A lot like the older brother. Yep you’ve been a good
Christian
You may secretly wish the story ended with the son in the pigpen. Isn’t that what
he deserved. You reap what you sow and get what you deserve. Right. And you get
angry. You’re vexed.
Are you like Jesus?
Are you follower of Jesus?
Oh you may be a Christian who knows all the rules and know how you think things
should be, but are you a true follower of Jesus.
Well. Here is what the dad said. [Screen 20] “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are
always with me, and everything I have is yours.
I imagine the son thought, “What does this have to do with anything?”
The Father is saying it has everything to do with it.
You have always been with me.
It is what I value the most. Being with you.
Everything I have is still yours.
You are getting your part of me.
You are not being shorted. [Screen 21]
Luke 15.32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was
dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. ’”
The Dad is pleading for the older son to come to the party. Your brother is back
and you never left. [Screen 22]
I want to be “with” you both.
You get that. You get what Jesus is saying here. God wants to be with all His people.
He wants to be with the lost and the ones who are with Him now.
Here is the thing…
God could not love you more. Just look at the cross. He gave His son for you.
Nothing you could do will cause Him to love you less.
And here is the even bigger thing…
Every person you know is a person God could not love more. (Talk with my
neighbor.)
And there is nothing they could do to cause God to love them less.
God doesn’t get mad at lost things. Or lost people.
Why should we?
Sin should break our hearts. (But don’t get stuck there).
Repentance should stir our hearts as it does Gods.
The greatest story anyone can tell is about someone coming home to God. Our
testimony. How God welcomes us home. Maybe this is what we should be more
quick to share rather than pointing out the sin of another?
[Screen 23]
Jesus is grace and truth. That makes us uncomfortable. There is a tension. We
may feel he is even unjust. We may feel he is letting people get away with too much.
We did what we were supposed to do and they didn’t and now you let them back in.
I have been a Christian for years and this guy was out doing what he wanted when
he wanted and with whom he wanted and now you want to let him come in.
Jesus says: “Yep”.
But he even did things that hurt me and caused me grief and pain.
Jesus says: “Yep”.
But he blew it. He squandered what he had been given. He now has nothing to
show for all you gave.
Jesus says: “Yep”. All you say is true. But he was lost but now he is found and grace
exists.
Have you lost me? Are you any less loved or forgiven yourself? Does this in any way
change what I did on the cross for you?
But one more thing. If you are the prodigal. If you are running from God. If you are
slipping away into your pigpen. You don’t get an out here. It is time to return to God
before you are owned by the little kings that want to steal you away from the true
Father and His ideal for you.
It doesn’t matter what it is. If there is something you are doing that is keeping you
from God’s ideal. It is the thing keeping you from coming home. Get out. God is
waiting with open arms. No matter what. No matter how stained and broken you
are. Come on home. Be welcome here. We won’t point out what you have done. The
thing is we all have been prodigals at one time or another.
God is not mad. He just wants to be “with” you.
God wants to be with all His people.
Let us be a church that is not the older brother.
Let us be followers of Christ that reflect the truth and grace that is Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Let us rejoice when someone comes home. Let’s not hold up their sin and point it
out how they don’t deserve to be home.
Good thing God didn’t do that when we came home.
Let’s have a party and celebrate anyone who was lost but now is found and with
us.
We should rejoice because a brother or sister of ours was dead and now is alive,
was lost but now is found.
And by the way, that’s why Jesus came.
Luke 5.32, I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
That’s us all guys.
Wont you come today? Repent and be baptized. Surrender to your unheard Father.